The proposed plan by Vishaan Chakrabarti to use the shell of Madison Square Garden for a new enclosure of a completely revised Penn Station comes almost full circle from the disastrous demolition of the old and revered one.

It was the act of demolition in 1963 that brought on the now vibrant landmarks movement in New York City and the country. But it was also the complete disregard for passengers and commuters entering and leaving the city that got many of us young architects enraged as we protested the monumental station’s demolition more than 50 years ago.

Now with this ingenious plan, at least the station’s users are given new consideration, instead of having to negotiate the mean existing rabbit warren that took the place of the noble McKim, Mead & White masterpiece.

Madison Square Garden had no business replacing Penn Station in the first place. Now by moving a new Garden further to the west into the Farley Building shell, and ingeniously repurposing the existing envelope of the Garden, train users are given a grand space once again.

Thus, we could have avoided the pain that millions of passengers have endured slithering through the undersized concourse spaces of the station all these years, not to speak of saving a cherished landmark.

The writer is director emeritus of IBI Group/Gruzen Samton, architects.

To the Editor:

Kudos to Michael Kimmelman for presenting us with Vishaan Chakrabarti’s remarkable reinvention of Penn Station. All New Yorkers should support this practical and affordable alternative to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s recently announced plan to extend the train platforms to an uninspired reinvention of the James Farley Building, one that will serve only a fraction of rail passengers.

That plan is nothing more than a Band-Aid applied to a gaping wound.

Mr. Chakrabarti’s repurposing of the existing Madison Square Garden into a rotunda of space and light will not only aid the flow of passengers arriving and departing, but it will also give the citizens of this city a train station that will honor their spirits, something that was quashed in the rubble of the monumental gateway that was once Pennsylvania Station.

LORRAINE B. DIEHL

New York

The writer is the author of “The Late, Great Pennsylvania Station.”

To the Editor:

Vishaan Chakrabarti’s proposal to improve Penn Station by topping the concourse with an enormous glass cylinder would fail to give New Yorkers the inspiring station they deserve. His banal design says nothing to travelers and visitors. It is a mute piece of technology, not a monumental civic space.

By contrast, the original Penn Station, designed by McKim, Mead & White, was a majestic Beaux-Arts structure that elevated the common man and encouraged civic pride. Echoing the grandeur of ancient Rome, the station was a shared democratic space that endowed all citizens with equal dignity.

To restore Penn Station to its former glory, my nonprofit, together with the architect Richard Cameron, has created a proposal to rebuild McKim’s original station. This is no pipe dream. There is precedent in Europe for reconstructing destroyed historic landmarks, and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo could show himself to be a true visionary by doing the same for Penn Station.

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Penn Station was once one of the greatest monuments in the world, and it should be again.

JUSTIN SHUBOW

President

National Civic Art Society

Washington

To the Editor:

For New Yorkers, Amtrak’s move to the Farley Building boils down to this: Amtrak gets a new terminal for its intercity customers; we get left behind in their cellar across the street.

Vishaan Chakrabarti’s vision to reclaim Penn Station for us is a fine one of many to choose from. But though sites for a Madison Square Garden relocated to the west could be available, and a renewed operating permit could be denied to prompt the move, the Dolans’ lock on Penn Station air rights remains.

Since a strong case can be made for the public’s welfare, perhaps Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo should consider eminent domain.

Amtrak is federally owned, meaning that Penn Station belongs to us. It would be just shameful if we were left in the cellar for another generation. We own this place.

THOMAS CURLEY

Ossining, N.Y.

The writer, an architect, was a vice president from 2002 to 2007 in the New York office of Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum, architects of a proposal to relocate Madison Square Garden to the Farley Post Office Annex.

While a good step forward, the plan ignores the thousands of New Jersey Transit riders who also use Penn Station. It is shameful that Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey continues to ignore the abominable conditions at Penn Station suffered by his constituents.

HENRY RENK

Spring Lake, N.J.

A version of this letter appears in print on October 10, 2016, on Page A20 of the New York edition with the headline: A Plan to Reinvent Penn Station. Today's Paper|Subscribe